System for and Method of Annotation of Digital Content and for Sharing of Annotations of Digital Content

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a system for and a method of collaborative annotation of digital content. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method of annotating digital content is provided. An annotation related to a portion of a volume of digital content is created. The annotation is stored in computer-readable memory in a manner that maintains a logical connection between the annotation and the portion of the volume of the digital content. The annotation is created by a first user. A comment is created by a second user in response to the annotation. The comment is stored in computer-readable memory in a manner that maintains a logical connection between the comment and the annotation. The portion of the volume of the digital content is displayed together with at least an identification of the annotation and at least an identification of the comment.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/370,771, filed Aug. 4, 2010, U.S. Provisional Application No.61/374,518, filed Aug. 17, 2010, and U.S. Provisional Application No.61/375,225, filed Aug. 19, 2010. The entire contents of each of theseprovisional applications are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of electronically distributeddigital content, such as e-books. More particularly, the presentinvention relates to interactive collaboration among consumers ofdigital content.

An electronic book (also referred to as an e-book) is an electronicversion of a traditional print book that can be downloaded (e.g. via theInternet) to a general-purpose computer system or to a portableelectronic device. Text of the e-book is displayed on a display screenof the general-purpose computer system or portable device so that it canbe read. An e-book reader can be a dedicated device or software storedon a programmable device that enables the reading of an e-book. Digitalcontent is available in other forms, such as video, audio and textfiles, as well as multi-media presentations and files, such aselectronic games and magazines.

E-books, for example, have certain advantages over traditional printbooks, including convenience and cost savings which come from: theability to electronically distribute the content; preservation ofnatural resources which would otherwise be required for the manufactureand distribution of print books; and the convenience of allowing theconsumer to electronically store many e-books, as opposed to print bookswhich occupy shelf space and can be heavy to carry.

A drawback of e-books and other digital content is that it can be moredifficult for a consumer to make and share written comments or otherannotations. Consumers of traditional print books may be accustomed totaking actions such as making written comments in the margins,underlining or highlighting text and marking certain pages (by turningdown the page corners or by using a bookmark). However, these actionscannot generally be performed on an e-book and other digital contentwhile it is being displayed.

Therefore, what is needed is are improved techniques for annotatingdigital content, such as e-books. What is further needed are improvedtechniques for a plurality of persons to collaboratively annotatedigital content.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system for and a method ofcollaborative annotation of digital content. In accordance with anembodiment of the present invention, a method of annotating digitalcontent is provided. An annotation related to a portion of a volume ofdigital content is created. The annotation is stored incomputer-readable memory in a manner that maintains a logical connectionbetween the annotation and the portion of the volume of the digitalcontent. The annotation is created by a first user. A comment is createdby a second user in response to the annotation. The comment is stored incomputer-readable memory in a manner that maintains a logical connectionbetween the comment and the annotation. The portion of the volume of thedigital content is displayed together with at least an identification ofthe annotation and at least an identification of the comment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described with respect to particular exemplaryembodiments thereof and reference is accordingly made to the drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system that may be used to collaboratively annotatedigital content in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a screen display for unthreaded notes (in “mini” viewmode) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a screen display for unthreaded notes (in “full” viewmode) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a screen display for threaded notes “mini” view mode)in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a screen display for threaded notes (in “full” view)in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a screen display for an options menu in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a screen display when collapse all is selected inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a view of note details in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a view of note details in accordance with analternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 shows a screen display for a save a copy feature in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 illustrates a screen display for comments on a note inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 illustrates a screen display for creating a general note inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 illustrates a screen display showing book notes in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 illustrates a screen display showing book notes in accordancewith an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 illustrates a screen display for creating a book note inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 illustrates a display screen for entering and viewing tags for abook note in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 illustrates a collections tab for a book note in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 illustrates a screen display of book information in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 illustrates a screen display for creating a page note inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 20 illustrates a screen display for a creating highlight note inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 illustrates a screen display for filtering notes by type inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 22 illustrates a screen display for filtering notes by tags inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 23 illustrates a screen display for filtering notes by collectionsin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 24 illustrates a screen display for filtering notes by people inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 25 illustrates a screen display for filtering notes by groups inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 26 illustrates a screen display for filtering notes by timeframe inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention allows a user to create and share annotations (or“notes”) regarding digital content with other users as well as read andcomment on annotations that other users have created, within the contextof digital content. An annotation can be written. For example, the usercan create an annotation relating to content of an e-book while the useris reading the e-book. The annotation can be associated with a specificportion of the content, such as a page or line(s) of text with ane-book. The user can also share the annotation with selected other usersof the content. Thus, while reading an e-book, the user can viewannotations written by other readers of that e-book. More particularly,while reading a particular passage within the e-book, the user can viewannotations written by other users that relate to that same passage.

A user may comment on annotations made by other users while other usersmay comment on the user's annotations. By associating an annotation witha specific portion of the content and allowing others to comment on theannotation, this allows a discussion among the users on topics relatingto the specified portion of the content. This creates a collaborativesharing experience that is richer than would be obtained by simplyreading another person's review of a book or other content. Filteringcan be employed so that user can choose specific users whose annotationsthey wish to view and comment on.

This collaborative annotation system and method can be applied to otherforms of digital content, including video and audio files by allowing auser to attach a note to a specific passage or portion of a video andaudio file (e.g. by associating the note with a timestamp within a videoor audio file). Thus, a user can specify a particular timestamp withinthe video or audio file. The collaborative annotation can also beapplied to multi-media presentations, such as a digital magazine whichincludes text and pictures. Thus, when reading a magazine the user maynot only annotate the text but also pictures and/or associated captions.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 in which digital content may becollaboratively annotated in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a server 102 is communicativelycoupled to a plurality of remote devices 104, 106, and 108 via a network110. While three such devices 104, 106, and 108 are shown, it will beunderstood that a different number of devices may be employed. The aserver 102 includes a processor 112, a database 114 and input/outputdevices 116, which may include a display, a keyboard, a mouse, and anetwork interface. The network 110 may include, for example, a localarea network, an intranet, and/or a wide area network, such as theInternet. The remote devices 104, 106, 108, may be implemented asvarious computing devices having a display screen, such as a desktop orportable personal computer, a “smart” phone, e-book reader device, a PDAor other device. A user accesses the server 102 by using a remote device104, 106 or 108. For example, the server 102 may host a website portalwhich can be accessed by users of the devices 104, 106 or 108. Theremote devices 104, 106, 108 may communicate with the server 102 and/orwith each other by wireless or wired connections.

In an embodiment, digital content, such as e-books, are initially storedat the server 102. Users can access the content by downloadingindividual files, such as an e-book file, to a remote device 104, 106 or108 and/or by viewing the content using a display screen of a remotedevice 104, 106 or 108. The users can perform other actions describedherein, via communication with the server 102 and/or with other remotedevices 104, 106 or 108.

In addition to accessing the content, each user can engage in otherinteractions, including creating, viewing and commenting on annotationswithin the context of the digital content. As used herein the term“title” or “volume” refer to a particular work of digital content, suchas a particular e-book, video file or multi-media presentation.

Users (which may also be referred to as readers or consumers) of contentmay select a particular title, portion of the title or location withinthe title to be associated with an annotation created by the user. Theannotation can be written commentary or other type of additional contentsuch as an audio recording in which the user provides spoken commentaryor any other digital media such as a photograph or video file. Theannotation is stored in a manner that maintains its association with theparticular title, portion of the title and/or location within the titlethat is selected by the user. For example, an annotation may be createdby the user using the user's remote device 102, 104 or 106. Theannotation may then be communicated to the server 102 along withinformation that identifies the particular title, portion of the titleand/or location within the title, as selected by the user. The server102 then stores the annotation, the information that identifies theparticular title, portion of the title and/or location within the title,as selected by the user, as well as information that identifies the user(e.g. the user's login id). The server 102 may also store a timestampthat identifies a time and date associated with the annotation.

The digital content which can be stored by the server 102 and accessedby users includes digital information that can delivered to users in avariety of formats, including: e-books (epub, PDF, HTML, and otherindustry standards), audio files (downloadable files and streamingaudio), video files (downloadable files and streaming video), games(which can be a downloadable file played through an interface that isseparate from that used for collaborative annotation, or directlythrough this same interface), as well as other digital format types, orcollateral non-electronic products. The collaborative annotation can beapplied to anything that a user can express an opinion about, and wouldbenefit from an iterative understanding in their decision-makingregarding the content, such as whether to view or purchase the content.

Users can indicate the location of something noteworthy (e.g., byhighlighting text or by book marking a page). Based upon the reader'sselected setting for the title or a default setting, other viewers cansee when a portion of the volume has been indicated.

The user's annotations can be added as text, tags or additional settingsto the indicated location in the title. Annotation entry can be inputtedvia a number of entry methods such as: typing, recording audio,handwriting, movement/gesture, etc.

Users also have an opportunity to capture thoughts that aren't tied to alocation in a volume of content (since ideas worth recording are notalways tethered to content). This may be accomplished by associating theuser's additional content with the particular title only, and not withany location within the title. This can allow users to participate in abroader freeform collaborative discussion regarding the title.

A “tag” is a term or phrase that can represent categories or provideother information out the item. For example, the tags for a book ore-book can identify its author, genre, themes of the book, key wordsrelated to its content or any other information or topics related to thebook. Specific examples of tags may include: “New York TimesBestseller,” “mystery,” “romance,” “J. D. Salinger,” “phonies,”“banned,” “modem,” “fiction,” “nature,” “poignant,” “classic,” “boring,”etc. In a preferred embodiment, the tags include user-generated tags.For example, the user can then enter one or more tags selected by theuser while viewing a particular title. The tags are then stored at theserver 102 in a manner that maintains an association between the tag thetitle, portion of the title and/or location within the title that isselected by the user.

Users preferably have an ability to easily retrieve information out ofcontext, yet some subtext is preferably retained in an easilyrecognizable form. Leveraging the user-generated folksonomy throughtags, users are able to record additional metadata about the captureprocess for later use. Other elements that enable useful retention andthat can be included in metadata associated with the annotation include:time captured, annotation author, volume title, content author,associated groups, number of comments, note type, etc.

An annotation can be accessed within an open volume and is viewable incontext. In other words, while the user is viewing a particular portionof the content, annotations of other users that relate to that portionof the content are accessible to the user. Additionally, the user canpreferably search for an annotation related to a particular title orportions of the title so multiple related annotations are viewable bythe user. The user can also preferably display annotations of otherusers separately of other related annotations. Thus, notes may beprovided to a user contemporaneously of their creation though the usermay not be viewing the content at that time. For example, the user maysubscribe to activity feeds or receive a text or email message inresponse to annotations created by specified other users and content.Thus, members of a group may receive annotations created by other groupmembers for a particular title selected by the group.

A user can preferably specify other users who will be entitled to viewannotations created by the user and to comment on those annotations. Forexample, the user may have a choice of: keeping the annotation private(only viewable by the user); making the annotation available tospecified friends only; (e.g. by specifying particular individual usersor by specifying a particular group); and making the annotation public.For example, a public annotation may be visible to all visitors to thewebsite (including both general public and account-holding users) oronly to account-holding users.

Annotations are generally created and stored at the devices 104, 106,and 108 and then communicated to the server 102 together with theirassociated metadata where the annotations and metadata are aggregatedand stored. Multiple annotations may be aggregated and stored on adevice before communication to the server 102. Communication to theserver 102 may be performed as background processes on the devices 104,106 and 108 so as to minimize impact on the user. For example, a usermay create several annotations for a particular title which are thenaggregated and stored on the user's device together with theirassociated metadata until such time as the user's device is otherwiseidle or upon logging in or off at the server 102. The user's device maythen communicate the annotations and their metadata to the server 102.Additionally, annotations may be communicated from one user's device104, 106 and 108 to another device 102, 104 and 106 (e.g., by wirelesscommunication) where they are aggregated and stored before beinguploaded to the server 102. Annotations, their metadata and otherinformation may be distributed from the server 102 to remote devices104, 106, and 108 at specified times. For example, the remote devicesbelonging to members of a particular group may receive annotationscreated by other members of the group. The users may receive newannotations upon connection or logging in of the devices to the server102 (this may be referred to an on-connection synchronization). Or, ifalready connected, members of the group may receive annotations as theybecome available in real time (this may be referred to as real-time pushor pull).

Commenting refers to a user responding or adding to another user'sannotation. A comment is a new annotation that is associated with aprior annotation. Continents can be created on the remote devices 104,106 and 108 and communicated to the server 102 where they are aggregatedand stored in the same manner as original annotations. Comments areassociated with the original annotation, such as by including withinmetadata for the comment an identification of the original annotation.Moreover, metadata for comments can include: time captured, commentauthor, volume title, content author, associated groups, number ofcomments, comment type, etc. An annotation and related comments arereferred to as a “thread.”

Comments may be displayed in real-time on connected devices. A user whocreates comments can preferably select whether the comment will beavailable to any user to whom anywhere the original annotation isviewable or to make the comment available only to specified users or toa particular group. Thus, for a thread, the viewer can either specifythe comment as public (inheriting the visibility of the sourcematerial), anonymous (where any personally identifiable information isremoved from the comment), private (only viewed by the author of thecommented-upon note) or only available to selected users or groups.

When a user is viewing content, such as reading a book, the user maymake an annotation and tie it to a specific portion of text in the book,to a specific page in the book or to the overall book itself. They maydo this by clicking a “Note” button within a reading tool bar. They maythen be provided with a dialog box that allows them to add their notetext, tag their note and add it to a note collection. Once theannotation is created it will be stored in a database and tied to thespecific book ID, page number and text, as applicable.

When viewing content, such as reading a book, a user may read otherusers' annotations and comments as threads. Each thread may be tied tothe page the original annotation was made on or in the case of ahighlight note, to the page the highlighted text resides on. In the caseof a book annotation, the annotation can be tied to the cover oressentially “page 0.” So if a user is reading a book on page 26, theuser will be able to view annotations and comments made by other usersin connection with page 26. These can be in chronological order within apage view.

Annotations can preferably also be viewed in an unthreaded manner. Thismay be accomplished by displaying all annotations for a title in orderof the portion of the content to which they relate. For a book, this canbe in order of the pages to which they relate though without displayingthe page. Thus, the annotations and comments may appear in a longstring, rather than grouped on a page-by-page basis.

Annotations may be filtered. Thus, a user may filter the annotationsthat the user sees for any given title. This may be accomplished byusing a filter dialog box. The user may filter annotations based on type(e.g. Book, Page and Highlight). Therefore, if the user only wanted tosee page annotations or only wanted to see book annotations the user canaccomplish this by filtering. The user may also filter notes based ontags, choosing to see any notes that have been tagged with a specificword. The user may also filter based on a specific collection of notes.So if they only wanted annotations that have been placed in an “English101” collection that is all they would see. The user may choose to seeannotations created only by particular users or groups. Additionally,the user may select only annotations from a specific time frame todisplay.

Once the user has selected all of their filter criteria, the server 102will preferably process the entire community's notes through the filterand only display what is left.

As mentioned, users may also access notes outside of the readingexperience. Examples include accessing notes via collections,discussions and activity feeds.

Collections: The user may organize his or her notes into collections.For example a student my take all of their biology notes across multipletextbooks and place them into one collection titled “Biology.” The usermay then access all “Biology” notes by accessing this collection insteadof going though each book individually. The user may also permit others,such as his or her friends, to access these notes via the collection.Friends are other users who have agreed to be connected to the user.

Discussions: Once a note is made and then a comment is made on it byanother user it may create a discussion. This may reside in a“Discussions” section of the portal and can be accessed outside of thereading experience. The topic of each discussion will be the originalnote and the discussion will operate in a typical internet forumfashion.

Activity Feed: When a user makes a note or comments on a note, thisactivity may be displayed in that user's Activity Feed. The ActivityFeed is a chronological list of actions the user has taken: made a note,added a book to their library, changed the status of a book, purchased abook, etc. When the user makes a note, this will show in the user'sActivity feed along with a link to view the note or comment the usermade.

The present invention enables sharing of notes among users, allows usersto comment on other user's notes, allows users to make a note based on aspecific highlighted portion of text, allows users to display noteswithin context of a title, allows launching of a note directly into adiscussion forum as a topic, allows making a note based on a specificsection within an audio or video file, permits making a note on apicture or photo, and provides an ability to refine which user's notesare displayed within the context of a title.

User Interfaces

The following discusses user interfaces in accordance with embodimentsof the present invention in the context of e-books. It will beunderstood that embodiments of the invention can be employed inconnection with other forms of content.

There are preferably two primary ways that the notes can be displayed ona user's display screen. These are threaded and unthreaded. In thethreaded view, each set of notes are grouped (or “threaded”) by page. Inthe unthreaded view, they are not grouped by page.

FIG. 2 illustrates a screen display for unthreaded notes (in “mini” orminimized view mode) in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. This display and other displays described herein can be shownas a graphical user interface window on the display screen of a user'sdevice, which can be, for example, a computer, a portable device or adedicated e-reader. Elements depicted on the display (e.g. button, tabsor links) can be accessed and manipulated with a mouse cursor and/orkeyboard and, in some cases, physical touch or gestures made by the userwith an appopriately touch capable input interface. A keyboard can alsobe used for entering text.

As shown in FIG. 2, a first portion of the screen display (also referredto as the “content window”) is used for viewing content. In this case,the content is an e-book, text of which is shown on the left side of thedisplay. Elements, such as tabs and buttons, are located in the vicinityof this portion of the display for navigating the content and forperforming other functions. As shown in FIG. 2, these elements arelocated in a tool bar that is positioned directly above the displayedtext. Additionally, a first scrollbar is positioned to the right of thetext which can be manipulated for scrolling the text. A second portionof the screen display is used for displaying information related to thecollaborative annotation of the content. This portion is referred to asthe annotations panel and is located on the right side of the display.As shown in FIG. 2, this portion of the screen display of FIG. 2 showsannotations as well as a header containing menu items that are used forperforming actions related to the annotations. These items include a“contents” tab, an “annotations” tab, a “search” tab, as well as a“filter” button and an “options” button. The annotations header may bedisplayed across the top of this portion of the display screen at alltimes. Additionally, a second scrollbar is positioned on the right sideof this portion of the display area which can be manipulated forscrolling the displayed information.

The “annotations” tab can be selected by the user to view theannotations. Selecting the “contents” tab may display a table ofcontents for a title currently being viewed by the user. Selecting the“search” tab may present a search interface which allows the user tosearch the current title, such as by keyword.

As also shown in FIG. 2, at the top to the left can be a count of thenotes the user can view. This number can be based on any filtering theuser has enabled. This number can also show the total number of notesavailable for this book in the entire user base. So for example, if thebook has 12,000 total notes written about it by all members and the userhas filtered it down to 105 notes, this figure will say “105 notes (of12,000).”

The “filter” button launches a filter notes dialog box. The optionsbutton opens an options menu. Within the options can be a choice of minior full view of notes. This choice affects what data the user sees. Inthe unthreaded view, the notes are associated with a page in the contentwindow. They flow from the oldest to the newest post down the screen. Inan embodiment, a batch of notes (e.g. each batch can include 25 notes)can be accessed at a time, with the ability to access additional batchesof notes (e.g. in batches of 25 at a time). The scroll bar allows theuser to scroll within the current batch of notes. On the left side ofeach note can be the page number in the book that the note is tied to,or other relevant meta-data.

In mini view, highlighted text (if applicable) that the note is tied tocan be displayed in a first line or two of text at the top of the note.If there is a note tied to the highlight, the highlighted text can betruncated to one line. If there is no note tied to the highlight (i.e.just a highlight) then the text can be truncated to two lines of text.If the note is a page note (and not associated with any text) there maybe no highlighted text displayed here. This text may also be highlightedin the same color as the text in the content window.

The note itself can start at a next line of text. This can be under thehighlighted text (if applicable). If there is highlighted text, the notetext can be truncated to one line. If there is no highlight associatedwith the note (i.e. a page note) the note can be truncated to two linesof text. The username of the person who left the note can be at thebottom left of the note. This can include a link that launches a browserwhich then links to the Portal and open's a window showing this person'sprofile.

A timestamp preferably shows the date and time that the note was made.Preferably, this is displayed by time elapsed since the note was made.This can be in the following format: (1) if less than an hour, then thenumber of minutes elapsed are displayed; (2) if over an hour, and up to23 hours and 30 minutes, then the number of hours elapsed is displayed;(3) if over 23 hours, 35 minutes and less than two days, then the term“yesterday” is displayed; and (4) if more than two days, the date isdisplayed (e.g. Mar. 10, 2010).

If the user has a “hide spoilers” option enabled and the note has beentagged by its creator as a “spoiler,” then the note will preferablycarry a “spoiler alert” badge and the text will not display. In order toread the note the user will have to expand the view of the note. Acarrot on the right side of the spoiler alert badge can be used toexpand the note into a note details view (see FIGS. 8 and 9). A spoileris a note that reveals information about the title which tends to revealthe outcome of a dramatic episode within the title, or the conclusion ofthe title. Because revealing such plot elements can “spoil” enjoyment ofthe title for users that are not already familiar with its plot, thoseusers may want to avoid notes that are identified as spoilers.

A “click to load more” button can be used to send a request for the nextbatch of 25 notes based on the user's filter criteria. If there are lessthan 25, all can be sent. If more, then the next 25 that best match thefilter can be sent.

FIG. 3 illustrates a screen display for unthreaded notes (in “full” viewmode) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Thisview differs from the unthreaded mini view shown in FIG. 2 in that thefull text of the note is preferably visible. Additionally, a count ofthe number of comments and “likes” may be displayed at the bottom ofeach note. Similarly, a batch of notes (e.g. 25 notes per batch) can beaccessed at a time, with the ability to access additional notes, inbatches. The scroll bar allows the user to scroll within the currentbatch of notes. On the left side of each note can be the page numberthat the note is tied to.

In this full view, the highlighted text (if applicable) that the note istied to can be displayed in a first line or two of text at the top ofthe note. The highlighted text can be truncated to two lines in fullview. This text can also be highlighted in the same color as the text inthe content window.

The note itself can start at a next line of text. This can be under thehighlighted text (if applicable). The entire note can be displayed whenin full view. Near the bottom of the note the number of commentsassociated to the original note and the number of people who haveclicked “like” for the note can be displayed. The username of the personwho left the note can also be at displayed the bottom left of the note.This can include a link that launches a browser which then links to thePortal and open's a window showing this person's profile.

A timestamp will preferably show the date and time that the note wasmade. As described above, this is preferably displayed by time elapsedsince the note was made. Additionally, if the user has the “hidespoilers” option enabled and the note has been tagged by its creator asa “spoiler” then the note will preferably carry a “spoiler alert” badgeand the text will not display. In order to read the note, the user willhave to expand the view of the note. A carrot on the right side of thespoiler alert badge can be used to expand the note into a note detailsview

A “click to load more” button preferably sends a request for the nextbatch of 25 notes based on the user's filter criteria. If there are lessthan 25, all can be sent. If more, then the next 25 that best match thefilter can be sent.

FIG. 4 illustrates a screen display for threaded notes (in “mini” viewmode) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In thisview, the notes are each tied to a page header. They are preferablydisplayed in order of oldest to newest for each page. The displayednotes can be any notes available through an entire user community basedon the filters the user has set. This count can be shown in the headerfor the page the user is currently on, the previous page and the nextpage. All other pages can show the icon to let the user know they willload when they get to that area.

Preferably, a batch of notes (e.g. 25 notes per batch) can be accessedat a time, with the ability to access additional notes, in batches. Thescroll bar allows the user to scroll within the current batch of notes.Each page of content may have its own note header. On the left side ofthe header can be the page number. The number of annotations associatedwith that page (after applying the filter criteria) can be alsodisplayed in the header. This can be altered to reflect the previouspage, current page and next page. Alternatively, a count of theindividual user's notes for each page in the book can be displayed onthe left side of the header.

The header itself can include a graphic element such as a shaded bargraph which indicates the number of annotations tied to that page.Whichever page in the book has the most notes can be considered the“100%” graph, then each lesser page can be a percentage of that. Forexample, if the page with the most notes has 100 notes, then 100 becomesthe denominator. If another page has 25 notes, its graph should show 25%across.

To the right is a carrot which can be used to either contract or expandthe list. When the list is contracted the carrot faces pointing to theright, and only the header is displayed for that page. When the carrotis clicked, the list expands to show notes for that page. When the listis expanded, the carrot is preferably pointing down, and when the carrotis clicked the list contracts.

Also in this view, the user preferably sees the highlighted text (ifapplicable) that the note is tied to. This highlighted text can bedisplayed at the top of the note. If there is a note tied to thehighlight, the highlighted text can be truncated to one line. If thereis no note tied to the highlight (i.e. it is just a highlight) then thetext can be truncated to two lines of text. If the note is a page note(and not associated with any text) there may be no highlighted textdisplayed here. This text can also be highlighted in the same color asthe text in the content window.

The note itself can begin at the next line of text. This can be underthe highlighted text (if applicable). If there is highlighted text, thenote text can be truncated to one line. If there is no highlightassociated with the note (i.e. a page note) the note can be truncated totwo lines of text. The username of the person who left the note can beat the bottom left of the note which can be a link to this person'sprofile. A timestamp preferably shows the date and time that the notewas made. As described above, the timestamp preferably shows elapsedtime since the note was made.

If the user has the “hide spoilers” option enabled and the note has beentagged by its creator as a “spoiler” then the note may carry a “spoileralert badge and the text will not display unless the user expands the ofthe note view. The carrot on the right side of the note can expand intothe note details view.

A click to load more button preferably sends a request for the nextbatch of 25 notes based on the user's filter criteria. If there are lessthan 25 all notes can be sent. If more, then the next 25 that best matchcan be sent.

FIG. 5 illustrates a screen display for threaded notes (in “full” view)in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Similarly toFIG. 4, in this view, the notes are each tied to a page header and arepreferably in order of oldest to newest for each page. The threaded fullview appears similar to the unthreaded full view shown in FIG. 2 withthe addition of a page number header bar which when activated by theuser collapses the notes for that page. The threaded full view differsfrom the unthreaded full view shown in FIG. 4 in that the full text ofthe note is preferably visible. Additionally, a count of the number ofcomments and “likes” may be displayed at the bottom of each note.

Preferably, a batch of notes (e.g. 25 notes per batch) can be accessedat a time, with the ability to access additional notes, in batches of 25at a time. The scroll bar allows the user to scroll within the currentbatch of notes. Each page of content may have its own note header. Onthe left side of the header can be the page number. The number ofannotations associated with that page (after applying the filtercriteria) can be also displayed in the header. This can be altered toreflect the previous page, current page and next page. Alternatively, acount of the individual user's notes for each page in the book can bedisplayed on the left side of the header.

The header itself can include a graphic element such as a shaded bargraph which indicates the number of annotations tied to that page.Whichever page in the book has the most notes can be considered the“100%” graph, then each lesser page can be a percentage of that. Forexample, if the page with the most notes has 100 notes, then 100 becomesthe denominator. If another page has 25 notes, its graph should show 25%across.

To the right is a carrot which can be used to either contract or expandthe list. When the list is contracted the carrot faces pointing to theright, and only the header is displayed for that page. When the carrotis clicked, the list expands to show notes for that page. When the listis expanded, the carrot is preferably pointing down, and when the carrotis clicked the list contracts.

In this full view, the highlighted text (if applicable) that the note istied to can be displayed in a first line or two of text at the top ofthe note. The highlighted text can be truncated to two lines in fullview. This text can also be highlighted in the same color as the text inthe content window.

The note itself can start at a next line of text. This can be under thehighlighted text (if applicable). The entire note can be displayed whenin full view. Near the bottom of the note the number of commentsassociated to the original note and the number of people who haveclicked “like” for the note can be displayed. The username of the personwho left the note can also be at displayed the bottom left of the note.This can include a link that launches a browser which then links to thePortal and open's a window showing this person's profile.

A timestamp will preferably show the date and time that the note wasmade. As described above, this is preferably displayed by time elapsedsince the note was made. Additionally, if the user has the “hidespoilers” option enabled and the note has been tagged by its creator asa “spoiler” then the note will preferably carry a “spoiler alert” badgeand the text will not display. In order to read the note, the user willhave to expand the view of the note. A carrot on the right side of thespoiler alert badge can be used to expand the note into a note detailsview

A “click to load more” button preferably sends a request for the nextbatch of 25 notes based on the user's filter criteria. If there are lessthan 25, all can be sent. If more, then the next 25 that best match canbe sent.

Options Menu

FIG. 6 illustrates a screen display for an options menu in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. As mentioned above, theright side portion of the screen display, which is used for displayinginformation related to the collaborative annotation, includes an optionsbutton. When activated, this button opens an options menu. To closethese options, the user clicks the options button again.

The option menu can include a checkbox for alignment which can belabeled, for example, “keep notes aligned to current page.” When theuser has been scrolling through the notes in the right panel they can beoff from the current page that is displayed in the content window. Ifthe user clicks this checkbox, the notes can be aligned back to thecurrent page (the page that is currently shown in the left panel).Preferably, while this box is checked, the user cannot move past thecurrent page's notes. The scroll will stop at the last note for thecurrent page. The default for this box is preferably unchecked.Alternatively, rather than a checkbox, this can be a default setting.

A “list in threads” checkbox can control the display of thethreaded/non-threaded views. When checked, the user may see the threadedview (as in FIGS. 4 and 5). When unchecked, the user may see theunthreaded view (as in FIGS. 1 and 2). The default for this checkbox ispreferably checked.

Clicking “collapse all” preferably pulls all notes back into their pageheader in threaded view, thus, only the headers for each page would beshown. This functionality is preferably only available when the “list inthreads” checkbox is checked. FIG. 7 illustrates a screen display whencollapse all is selected in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

Clicking “expand all” pushes out all notes in threaded view, thus, allnotes can be displayed. This functionality is preferably only availablewhen the “list in threads” checkbox is checked.

A “hide spoilers” checkbox can control display of spoiler alerts. Ifthis box is checked, any notes that have been marked as spoilers willpreferably display the spoiler alert badge instead of text. Defaultvalue for this box is preferably checked.

“Note preview” radio buttons let the user select whether to display thenotes mini view (as in FIGS. 1 and 4) or in full view (as in FIGS. 2 and5). The default for this is preferably mini view.

A “sort notes” drop down menu allows the user to select an ordering usedto sort the notes. For example, the user can sort by: newest to oldest;oldest to newest; most likes to least likes; or most commented on toleast commented on. If the user is in threaded view, the notes aresorted in this manner by page. If the user is in unthreaded view, allnotes for the book are sorted in this manner as a group.

Note Details

When the user clicks the carrot for a note, the user will see a notedetails view. This provides a more in-depth look at the note, includingdisplay of the creator of the note as well as meta data for the note.FIG. 8 illustrates a view of note details in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 shows that the comments aredisplayed separately from the note details and that the comments areaccessed by a “comments” tab. The user can return to the note detailsusing a “note details” tab.

FIG. 9 illustrates a view of note details in accordance with analternative embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, thecomments are shown together with the note details. In this case, the“note details” and “comments” tabs can be omitted. As shown in FIGS. 8and 9, the user avatar and user information are displayed above thenote. Alternatively, the user avatar and user information may bedisplayed below the note.

A “save a copy” button can be included in the header of the note detailsview. When the user clicks this, a copy of the current note can be savedto that user's notebook. The notebook is preferably a storage area atthe server 102 that is assigned that particular user. FIG. 10 shows ascreen display for the save a copy feature in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. A dialog box appears for thisfunctionality. Preferably, only the text of the note itself can besaved, not its meta-data. The copied note text can be editable by theuser who has copied it. If the user has already saved this note thisbutton is preferably grayed out.

If the user is the author of the note, an edit button will preferablyappear instead of the “save a copy” button (as in FIG. 9). This launchesan edit notes dialog box.

At the top of the note is a tab to toggle between the note details andcomments on the note. When the user clicks note details the user can beshown the note itself and any associated details but not any comments onthe note. Activating the comments link causes the note details to bereplaced with any comments on the note. A total of the number ofcomments for the note is preferably displayed in parenthesis next to thecomments link. FIG. 11 illustrates a screen display for coments on anote in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11shows the display when the user selects the “comments” tab shown in FIG.9. The user can return to the note details (FIG. 8) using the “notedetails” tab.

Referring to FIG. 9, the note type (e.g. a highlight note) as well asthe page number the note is associated with can be displayed near thetop of each note. If the note is a highlight note, the highlighted textis preferably also displayed, which may be be truncated to the lines oftext. This text will preferably also be highlighted in the same color asthe text in the content window.

The text of the note itself preferably appears below any highlightedtext. This text will preferably not be truncated and the entire note canbe displayed, allowing the user to scroll through the right panel asnecessary.

The avatar of the note's author will preferably be displayed with thenote text. The username of the author is preferably displayed next tothe avatar. The username can be clickable and will link directly to thatuser's profile in the portal. A timestamp for when the note was createdcan be displayed along with the username. As described above, thetimestamp preferably shows elapsed time since the note was made.

If the note has been copied or if the author has modified the note, themost recent instance of it having been copied or modified can bedisplayed. A timestamp may show elapsed time since it was copied ormodified by the author.

At the bottom of the note the number of people who have clicked “like”for the note can be displayed. Below the number of likes can be thenumber of people who have copied this note into their notebook.

The user may click a “like” button to show approval of a note. As shownin FIG. 9, the like button can include a graphic symbol, such as a handwith its thumb pointing up. Clicking on the like button will add a countto the like count for this note (the like count for a title is the totalnumber of users that have indicated their affinity for the note). Theuser can only click the button one time for any note. Once the buttonhas been pressed by a particular user, it preferably becomes inactivefor that user so that it cannot be pressed again.

Tags related to the note can be displayed below the note. These arepreferably truncated to one line of text. If the user expands the rightpanel out, more data can be displayed, but preferably still limited toone line. In an embodiment, the user can view all of the tags related toa note. Additionally, if the user clicks on a tag, details of the tagare then shown.

Collections the note resides in can be displayed below the tags. Theseare also preferably truncated to one line of text. If the user expandsthe right panel out, more data can be displayed, but preferably stilllimited to one line. In an embodiment, the user can view all of thecollections related to a note. If a user clicks on a collection name,the user is preferably shown that collection in the portal.

Below the collections can be any comments to the note. A header for thecomments can be shown that includes the number of comments (shown inFIG. 9 in parenthesis). A timestamp of the most recent comment can bedisplayed.

The comments can be listed in sequential order from oldest to newest.The avatar of the user who left the comment can be displayed. Theusername of the person who left the comment can be displayed next to theavatar. This username can be hyperlinked to that person's profile pagein the portal. The timestamp of the comment can also be displayed. Thetext of the comment can be displayed under the avatar and username. Thetext of the comment is preferably not be truncated.

Creating a Note

A user can preferably create different types of notes. These can includea general note, a book note, a page note and a highlight note. A note iscreated by accessing a dialog box. The dialog box will preferably pop upif the user pushes the “make a note” button on the tool bar or if theuser right clicks on the content and chooses “make a note.”

FIG. 12 illustrates a screen display for creating a general note inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Global elementsare preferably displayed across all note creation screens and include aleft sidebar including tabs for each note type, privacy options,navigation tabs, a cancel selection and a save selection.

The left sidebar shows the user what type of note they are currentlycreating by shading of the tabs. As shown in FIG. 12, the general notetab is shaded differently from the others. The method by which theylaunch the dialog box determines the default appearance of this leftsidebar. If the user wants to switch the note type, the user can selecta different tab. For example, if the user highlights a passage andclicks the note button, the dialog box will open and default to thehighlight note screen. The user could then click page note. In thiscase, the highlighted text would be lost and the user would go into thepage note process.

Privacy selections can be made by accessing a dropdown list that allowsthe user to select the privacy level of the note they are creating. Forexample, the choices can include everyone, just me, my friends, or myfollowers. Additionally, the user may be given the option of making aprivacy selection for the entire title via a different menu. In thiscase, if the privacy setting for a book has been set to “just me” thenthe user may not have the option to set the note to anything but thatsetting. If the book has been set to “my friends” the user may set theprivacy for the note as “my friends” or “just me.” If the book has beenset to “my groups” the user may set the privacy for the note as “mygroups or “just me.” If the book has been set to “everyone” the user canset the privacy for the note at any option.

The navigation tabs across the top of the create a note dialog box allowthe user to navigate through the note itself, tags, collections, andbook information.

The cancel button preferably cancels the note creation, closes thedialog box and does not save any of the information. The save buttonpreferably closes the dialog box and saves any data the user has input.

A general note is a note that is not associated with any text or anybook. It is solely associated to the user. A user may launch this notetype by clicking the create note button with no text highlighted, thenclicking general note or by right clicking in the screen with no texthighlighted, then clicking general note.

A general note can include a title field and a note field. The titlefield may accept alphanumeric and special characters and have apreselected maximum number of characters (e.g. 50 characters). The notefield can be a free form text field supporting alpha numeric and specialcharacters. This may also have a preselected maximum number ofcharacters (e.g. 500 characters). When the user reaches the maximumnumber of characters, the box preferably does not display any furtherdata so the user knows when the limit has been reached.

A book note is a note that is associated only with a book. It is notassociated with a specific page or line of text. Book note may be thedefault note input view if the user has not selected text. A user maylaunch this note type by clicking the create note button with no texthighlighted, or by right clicking on a non-highlighted section of textand selecting create a note.

FIG. 13 illustrates a screen display showing book notes in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. The book notes arepreferably displayed at the beginning of all other notes. Thus, the booknotes are effectively associated with page zero, but rather than displaythe page number, the term “Booknotes” is preferably displayed. FIG. 14illustrates a screen display showing book notes in accordance with analternative embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 differs fromFIG. 13 in that FIG. 14 shows that the number of user's notes and thenumber of overall community notes are separately displayed, whereas, inFIG. 13, the user's notes and the community notes are displayed in onelump sum of notes.

FIG. 15 illustrates a screen display for creating a book note inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Since the booknote is associated with a book, an image of the book cover, the titleand the author's name is preferably displayed at the top of the booknote dialog box.

A note field for the book note can be a free form text field supportingalpha numeric and special characters. This may also have a preselectedmaximum number of characters (e.g. 500 characters). When the userreaches the maximum number of characters, the box preferably does notdisplay any further data so the user knows when the limit has beenreached.

At the bottom of the note tab can be a checkbox for a spoiler alert.This can be checked to identify the note as a spoiler. As such it can beused for filtering notes based on spoilers. The default value ispreferably unchecked.

FIG. 16 illustrates a display screen for entering and viewing tags for abook note in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Thetags field allows the user to type in a tag or multiple tags (e.g. usingcommas to separate them).

Below the tags field may be a “your most recent tags” list. This listmay be truncated to three lines and may include the most recently usedtags by this user for this book. They can be in order from most to leastrecently used. When the user clicks a tag it can be displayed in thetags field above. If the user clicks the “X” next to the tag in thefield it can be removed.

Below the “your most recent tags” may be a “popular community tags”list. This list may be truncated to three lines and may include the mostcommonly used tags for this book by the overall community. They can bein order from most to least used. When the user clicks a tag it can bedisplayed in the tags field above. If the user clicks the “X” next tothe tag in the field it can be removed.

FIG. 17 illustrates a collections tab for a book note in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention. A “my collections list” fielddisplays a list of note collections this user has created along withthat collection's privacy setting. The user can then click the checkboxto the left for any collections they would like the note added to. Ifthey would like to add it to all collections they can click the checkboxat the top. These checkboxes preferably all default to unchecked.

A “make a new collection” text box may be provided which allows the userto input a name for a new collection and then click “add.” This willcreate a new notes collection. This new note collection will then beadded into the list above. This field may check the input name againstthe current list of note collections, and, if it already exists, it caninform the user and ask the user to select a different name.

A privacy selection allows the user to select who can view thenewly-created collection. The privacy selections can include everyone,just me, my friends, or my followers. This may default to everyone.

The “Info” tab displays information about the book note, preferably in anon-editable display. FIG. 18 illustrates a screen display of bookinformation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.The following fields are preferably included: created on date; author ofthe note; date user saved; book title; author of the book; placement ofnote; book rating; number of people who have saved the note; number oflikes note has received.

A Page Note is a note that is associated to specific page in a book. Itis not associated to a specific line of text. A user launches this notetype by: clicking the create note button with no text highlighted, thenselecting Page Note in the Create Note screen; or by right clicking on anon highlighted section of text and selecting Create a Note, thenselecting Page Note in the Create Note screen.

FIG. 19 illustrates a screen display for creating a page note inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. This is doneusing the page note tab.

A header displayed across the top of the page note input screen caninclude an image of the book, the page number the user is on, the titleof the book and the author of the book. The displayed page number is thepage of the book that the page note will be associated with.

The note tab for a page note can include a note field and a spoileralert checkbox. The note field can be a free form text field supportingalpha numeric and special characters. This may have a 500 charactermaximum. When the user reaches 500 characters the box may stopdisplaying any further data so the user knows they have reached theirlimit. At the bottom of the Note tab can be a checkbox for SpoilerAlert. This can be used for filtering notes based on spoilers. Thedefault value may be unchecked.

Similarly to the book note, the page note display can include a tagsfield, which allows the user to enter tags for the page note, and whichmay also display the “your most recent tags” list as well as the“popular community tags” list. Also, a collections tab of the page notecan include the “my collections list” and the “make a new collection”options, including an ability to select a privacy option for the newcollection.

The “Info” tab displays information about the page note, preferably in anon-editable display. The fields may include: created on date; author ofthe note; date user saved; book title; author of the book; placement ofnote (i.e. its page); book rating; number of people who have saved thenote; and number of likes note has received.

A highlight Note is a note that is associated to specific section oftext in a book. A user can launch this note type by highlighting asection of text, then clicking the create note button or by highlightinga section of text, then right clicking and choosing create note. FIG. 20illustrates a screen display for a creating highlight note in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. This screen may be accessedusing the highlight note tab.

Similarly to the page note, a header displayed across the top of thehighlight note input screen can include an image of the book, the pagenumber the user is on, the title of the book and the author of the book.

The note tab for a highlight note can include a color selection, ahighlighted text field, a note field and a spoiler alert checkbox. Theuser may have a choice of several colors to choose for the highlightedtext. Whichever is clicked can be displayed larger and outlined to showit is currently the choice. The text that the user previouslyhighlighted can be displayed in the highlighted text field. This text isnot editable and is for display only. There is preferably a preselectedmaximum number of characters for the note text (e.g. this can be 3,500characters). The note field can be a free form text field supportingalpha numeric and special characters. This may have a 500 charactermaximum. When the user reaches 500 characters the box may stopdisplaying any further data so the user knows they have reached theirlimit. At the bottom of the Note tab can be a checkbox for SpoilerAlert. This can be used for filtering notes based on spoilers. Thedefault value may be unchecked.

Also, similarly to the page note and book note, the highlight notedisplay can include a tags field, which allows the user to enter tagsfor the page note, and which may also display the “your most recenttags” list as well as the “popular community tags” list. Also, acollections tab of the page note can include the “my collections list”and the “make a new collection” options, including an ability to selecta privacy option for the new collection.

The “Info” tab displays information about the highlight note, preferablyin a non-editable display. The fields may include: created on date;author of the note; date user saved; book title; author of the book;placement of note (i.e. its page); book rating; number of people whohave saved the note; and number of likes note has received.

Filtering Notes

As mentioned, annotations may be filtered. This may be accomplished byusing a filter dialog box which may be accessed by the user selectingthe filter button while viewing annotations. FIG. 2 shows such a“filter” button. Various different filtering criteria may be employedfor filtering the annotations. For example, these can include filteringby note type (e.g. book note or page note), filtering by tags so thatonly notes having a particular tag are displayed, filtering bycollections so that only notes in a particular collection of the userare displayed, filtering by people so that only notes written by aparticular person or persons are displayed, filtering by groups so thatonly notes written by members of a particular group or groups aredisplayed, and filtering by timeframe so that only notes written duringa specified time period are displayed.

FIG. 21 illustrates a screen display for filtering notes by type inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. For example,there can be three different note types available to filter by: booknotes, page notes and highlight notes. The user may select any and allof these by clicking a checkbox next to each of them. Next to each notetype in parenthesis is preferably a number that represents the total ofthat type of note for this book based on any other filtering alreadyapplied.

As shown in FIG. 21, filter options may be made available when the userclicks the “Filter” button on the header in the annotations panel. Thefollowing elements preferably appear on all Note Filtering screens:reset to defaults; results; cancel; and save. The reset to defaults linkresets all filters to their default status. The results may be displayedalong the bottom of the display area and can include a message informingthe user how many notes are a result based on current filters. This mayappear as a number of notes out of the total possible notes with nofiltering. For example, the results may be displayed as “100 notes (of10,000)”. The user may selectively activate only one filteringcriterion, but is also preferably allowed to simultaneously activatemultiple filtering criteria. The cancel button closes the filter dialogbox without applying any of the filters the user has selected since thefiltering dialog box was opened. The save button closes the dialog boxand saves any filter selections that the user has made since the dialogbox was opened. After the filter dialog box is closed, the display showsthe annotations according to the selected filtering criteria, as inFIGS. 2-5.

FIG. 22 illustrates a screen display for filtering notes by tags inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. This allows theuser to filter all notes for the current book based on the list of allof that user's tags. As shown in FIG. 22, a list of the tags ispreferably displayed with a checkbox next to each tag. The user mayselect as many tags as the user wishes. The user may select all of theuser's tags via a checkbox which is shown near the top of the dialog boxand labeled “All My Tags.” Next to each tag a total number of notes thatmatch the tag using the other current filtering criteria is preferablydisplayed in parenthesis next to the tag.

In an embodiment, the user may sort the list of tags. For example, asorting drop down menu may be provided. This may allow the list to besorted alphabetical A to Z, alphabetical Z to A, by amount of results(most to least), or by amount of results (least to most).

FIG. 23 illustrates a screen display for filtering notes by collectionsin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. This allowsthe user to filter all notes for the book based the user's notecollections. As shown in FIG. 23, a list of all of the user's notecollections is preferably displayed by name with a checkbox next toeach. The user may select as many collections as the user wishes. Theuser may select all of the user's collections via a checkbox which isshown near the top of the dialog box and labeled “All My Collections.”Next to each collection a total number of notes in the collectionaccording to the other current filtering criteria is preferablydisplayed in parenthesis next to the collection name. If a collectionhas no notes that apply it will preferably not have a checkbox. Defaultstatus is preferably all boxes checked.

In an embodiment, the user may sort the list of collections. Forexample, a sorting drop down menu may be provided. This may allow thelist to be sorted alphabetical A to Z, alphabetical Z to A, by amount ofresults (most to least), or by amount of results (least to most).

FIG. 24 illustrates a screen display for filtering notes by people inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. This allows theuser to filter notes according to people they are connected to.

A “My Notes” checkbox allows the user to include their own notes intheir search. The total of their notes that fit the filter criteria ispreferably displayed in parenthesis. This may default to checked. Also,an “All Community” checkbox allows the user to include notes from allusers in their search. The total of all community notes that fit thefilter criteria is preferably displayed in parenthesis. This may alsodefault to checked.

A “Notes by My People” checkbox allows the user to include notes fromspecified other users (e.g. the user's friends) in the search. The totalnumber of the notes that fit the filter criteria is preferably displayedin parenthesis. When this checkbox is selected, this preferably opensthe user's “people” list. The people list can include a list of nameswith a check box next to each name. This allows the user to select amongthe persons listed as authors of notes to be included. Next to eachperson's name a total of the notes authored by that person and that fitthe other filter criteria may be displayed in parenthesis. If a personhas no notes that fit the filter criteria a checkbox preferably does notappear by that person's name. The default is preferably all boxeschecked.

In an embodiment, the user may sort the list of people. For example, asorting drop down menu may be provided. This may allow the list to besorted alphabetical A to Z, alphabetical Z to A, by amount of results(most to least), or by amount of results (least to most).

FIG. 25 illustrates a screen display for filtering notes by groups inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. This allows theuser to filter notes according to the groups they are connected to forwhich the current book is included in the group's library.

An “All. My Groups” checkbox allows the user to include notes from allof their groups in their search. The total of their notes that fit thesort criteria is preferably displayed in parenthesis. When this checkboxis selected, this preferably opens a group list for the user. The grouplist can include a list of group names with a check box next to eachname. This allows the user to select among the groups listed as authorsof notes to be included. Next to each group's name a total of the notesauthored by members of that group and that fit the other filter criteriamay be displayed in parenthesis. If a particular group has no notes thatfit the filter criteria or the particular group does not have the bookin its library, a checkbox preferably does not appear by that person'sname. The default is preferably all boxes checked.

In an embodiment, the user may sort the list of groups. For example, asorting drop down menu may be provided. This may allow the list to besorted alphabetical A to Z, alphabetical Z to A, by amount of results(most to least), or by amount of results (least to most).

FIG. 26 illustrates a screen display for filtering notes by timeframe inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In anembodiment, there can be four radio buttons that allow the user toselect a predetermined time frame relative to a current time and date.These can include: past day; past week; past month; and past year.Default may be none of the buttons being checked.

Alternatively, the user may preferably select a specified date range. Asshown in FIG. 26, this option can be accessed by the user selecting a“custom” checkbox. This preferably defaults to not checked. When customis selected, two calendars may appear, one for the start date and onefor the end date. The user can click on a date for each calendar so thatthe range of dates between the start and end dates can be used for thefilter. The end month preferably defaults to the current month. Thestart month preferably defaults to the previous month. Both calendarswill preferably have forward and backward navigation arrows to allow theuser to navigate through months.

The description above illustrates operation of embodiments of theinvention and is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. It willbe apparent to one skilled in the relevant art that variations will beencompassed by the spirit and scope of the invention and that theinvention may be practiced in other embodiments. The particular divisionof functionality between the various system components described hereinis merely exemplary. Thus, the methods and operations presented hereinare not inherently related to any particular computer or otherapparatus. Functions performed by a single system component may insteadbe performed by multiple components, and functions performed by multiplecomponents may instead performed by a single component. It will also beapparent that process steps described herein can be embodied insoftware, firmware or hardware. Thus, the present invention or portionsthereof may be implemented by apparatus for performing the operationsherein. This apparatus may be specially constructed or configured, suchas application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), as a part of an ASIC, as a part ofFPGA, or it may comprise a general-purpose computer selectivelyactivated or reconfigured by a computer program stored on a computerreadable medium that can be accessed and executed by the computer. Sucha computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium,such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks,optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories(ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic oroptical cards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronicinstructions, and or coupled to a computer system bus. Furthermore, themethods described in the specification may be implemented by a singleprocessor or be implemented in architectures employing multipleprocessor designs for increased computing capability. Accordingly, thedisclosure of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, butnot limiting, of the scope of the invention.

1-48. (canceled)
 49. A method of annotating digital content comprisingsteps of: providing a user interface configured to display at least aportion of a volume of digital content and the user interface configuredto allow a user to create a note, the note being created by a first userusing a first device that is remotely connected to a server via anetwork, wherein the user selects via the user interface whether thenote is associated with the displayed volume of digital content orwhether the note is not associated with any particular volume of digitalcontent; and communicating the note to a second user for display by asecond device that is remotely connected to the server via the network.50. The method according to claim 49, wherein the second user isdesignated by the first user for receiving the note.
 51. The methodaccording to claim 50, wherein the second user is a member of a group ofusers designated by the first user.
 52. The method according to claim50, wherein the note is provided to the second user contemporaneously ofits creation regardless of whether the second user is viewing the volumeof digital content.
 53. The method according to claim 50, wherein thenote is associated with the displayed volume of digital content andwherein the note is displayed for the second user along with at least aportion of the volume of digital content.
 54. The method according toclaim 50, wherein the volume of digital content comprises an e-book. 55.The method according to claim 54, wherein the note is associated withthe entire volume of the digital content.
 56. The method according toclaim 54, wherein the note is associated with a portion of the displayedvolume of digital content and wherein the portion of the displayedvolume of the digital content comprises a page of the volume.
 57. Themethod according to claim 54, wherein the note is associated with aportion of the displayed volume of digital content and wherein theportion of the displayed volume of the digital content comprisesselected text contained within the volume.
 58. The method according toclaim 49, wherein if the note is associated with the displayed volume ofdigital content, the first user selects whether the note is associatedwith the entire volume of digital content, a page of the volume, orselected text contained within the volume.
 59. The method according toclaim 49, further comprising creating a comment in response to the noteand storing the comment in computer-readable memory in a manner thatmaintains a logical connection between the comment and the annotation,the comment being created by the second user.
 60. The method accordingto claim 49, wherein data storage at the server is assigned to the firstuser.
 61. The method according to claim 60, further comprising the firstuser saving one or more selected notes to the data storage assigned tothe first user.
 62. The method according to claim 60, further comprisingthe first user editing one or more of the saved annotations, the editedannotation having been created by a user other than the first user. 63.A method of annotating digital content comprising steps of: providing auser interface configured to display at least a portion of a volume ofdigital content, the volume of digital content comprising an e-book, andthe user interface configured to allow a user to create a note, the notebeing created by a first user using a first device that is remotelyconnected to a server via a network, wherein the user selects via theuser interface whether the note is associated with the entire volume ofdigital content, a page of the volume, or selected text contained withinthe volume, or whether the note is not associated with any particularvolume of digital content; and communicating the note to a second userfor display by a second device that is remotely connected to the servervia the network.
 64. The method according to claim 63, wherein thesecond user is designated by the first user for receiving the note. 65.The method according to claim 64, wherein the second user is a member ofa group of users designated by the first user.
 66. The method accordingto claim 64, wherein the note is provided to the second usercontemporaneously of its creation regardless of whether the second useris viewing the volume of digital content.
 67. The method according toclaim 64, wherein the note is associated with the displayed volume ofdigital content and wherein the note is displayed for the second useralong with at least a portion of the volume of digital content.
 68. Themethod according to claim 63, further comprising creating a comment inresponse to the note and storing the comment in computer-readable memoryin a manner that maintains a logical connection between the comment andthe annotation, the comment being created by the second user. 69.Non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon a softwareprogram, which when executed, causes one or more computers to perform amethod of annotating digital content comprising steps of: providing auser interface configured to display at least a portion of a volume ofdigital content and the user interface configured to allow a user tocreate a note, the note being created by a first user using a firstdevice that is remotely connected to a server via a network, wherein theuser selects via the user interface whether the note is associated withthe displayed volume of digital content or whether the note is notassociated with any particular volume of digital content; andcommunicating the note to a second user for display by a second devicethat is remotely connected to the server via the network. 70.Non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon a softwareprogram, which when executed, causes one or more computers to perform amethod of annotating digital content comprising steps of: providing auser interface configured to display at least a portion of a volume ofdigital content, the volume of digital content comprising an e-book, andthe user interface configured to allow a user to create a note, the notebeing created by a first user using a first device that is remotelyconnected to a server via a network, wherein the user selects via theuser interface whether the note is associated with the entire volume ofdigital content, a page of the volume, or selected text contained withinthe volume, or whether the note is not associated with any particularvolume of digital content; and communicating the note to a second userfor display by a second device that is remotely connected to the servervia the network.